Tempest
by dazai-san
Summary: (Warnings/Pairings inside. Post-manga.) For Gokudera Hayato, this is the easiest decision he has ever made. Without any hesitation, he accepts the consequences, all for a chance to change something and everything; and also for a chance to apologize, apologize for what he hadn't done.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** A Storm, Fifteen Years Ago (bound to change)

 **Rating:** T

 **Genre(s):** Friendship/Angst/Tragedy/Hurt/Comfort

 **Summary:** (Very, very light x-over with xxxHOLiC. Warnings/Pairings inside. Post-manga.) For Gokudera Hayato, this is the easiest decision he has ever made. Without any hesitation, he accepts the consequences, all for a chance to change something and everything; and also for a chance to apologize, apologize for what he hadn't done.

 **Warnings:** Swearing, homo/heterosexuality, violence, character death, time travel, angst, spoilers, the works. Un-beta-ed.

 **Pairings:** 8059, All59 friendship, 2795, 1869, XS; more to come.

 **Side Notes:** Yes, Watanuki WILL play a very large role in this story, but he doesn't appear very often. Ask questions if you have any. Please leave a review telling me your thoughts on this fanfiction, and how I can improve. I am NOT looking for a beta. Therefore, if you spot a grammatical mistake or spelling mistake, PM or review. I do not and will never own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! or xxxHOLiC.

~oOo~

Gokudera Hayato, despite his scientifically wired mind, believes in ghosts, demons; generally the supernatural.

He also believes in wishes.

~oOo~

He barely makes it to the place he's staying— _it's not home, never, never will be again_ —before crumpling on the floor of in front of the bed he's been sleeping in— _no it's not his, never, never will be again because this isn't home anymore_ —and digging his fingernails into his scalp.

He draws in a shaky and rattling breath, forcing himself to calm down— _but what's the point, he'll be killed anyway_ —and think clearly. But he can't— _how could he, when everyone else is gone, when they've all left him behind in this cruel, cruel world_ —and is on the verge of having a panic attack but he digs his nails in harder and the pain— _biting and sharp and brings him clarity_ —manages to just barely shake him out of it.

Somehow he passes out, leaning against the bed, cursing that bastard Hibari to hell and back— _because how dare you, how dare you leave me alone_ —and wishing with his entire being that he would get another chance to apologize.

~oOo~

A boy he doesn't recognize is sitting on a rock, smoking a pipe. He wears decorative kimonos that, while they look like they were designed for females, fit him quite well.

"Who the hell are you?"

There's green grass everywhere and the boy turns his mismatched eyes on him, bending down and running his fingers slightly through the grass. "I am Watanuki Kimihiro. It's nice to meet you, Gokudera-san." The boy, Watanuki, seems to be maybe fifteen. But Gokudera feels he's far older than he really appears.

"Are you a threat?"

"No, but you could be," Watanuki says mildly. "It really depends on what you wish for, and how much you are able and willing to pay."

 _What you wish for… how much you are able and willing to pay…_ He knows the answer to that. "This isn't real, is it?"

"That really depends on how you define reality and illusion," Watanuki answers. "But this is a dream, if you are wondering. Dreams are where I am the strongest."

Gokudera sighs and just drops to the ground, looking up at the other. "Are you giving me an offer?"

"I suppose. It is entirely up to you what you wish for, but I am the one who decides the price." Watanuki takes a drag on the pipe, and oddly colored smoke plumes around him as he exhales. "Of course, I am already aware of what you're wishing for."

"I… I am willing to pay any price for it." He hopes this is real, that this isn't some cruel illusion his mind made up.

"'Anything' is a very high price, Gokudera-san," Watanuki warns. "I can take literally anything away from you."

"Anything to keep them alive, healthy, and happy," Gokudera insists. "I don't fucking care if I can't ever see them again."

"Alright then. In exchange for them to be alive, well, and happy, your price…" Watanuki pauses. "It is only right that you are to bear the scars of your friends. Do you still accept?"

Gokudera blinks and nearly laughs. This is the easiest decision he has ever made in his life.

"I accept."

~oOo~

 **Author's Note:** Whelp, there's the prologue. I promise, the following chapters will be longer! I don't know what I want as a word goal per chapter, but I promise, it'll be at least 2k words.

I'll attempt to update at least once a week, but to be honest, I think once a month sounds a lot more realistic, considering my procrastination tendencies. So yeah, maybe once a month. I update sporadically.

Please read and review. :'D I'll appreciate it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Tempest

 **Rating:** T

 **Genre(s):** Friendship/Angst/Tragedy/Hurt/Comfort

 **Summary:** (Very, very light x-over with xxxHOLiC. Warnings/Pairings inside. Post-manga.) For Gokudera Hayato, this is the easiest decision he has ever made. Without any hesitation, he accepts the consequences, all for a chance to change something and everything; and also for a chance to apologize, apologize for what he hadn't done.

 **Warnings:** Swearing, homo/heterosexuality, violence, character death, time travel, angst, spoilers, the works. Un-beta-ed.

 **Pairings:** 8059, All59 friendship, 2795, 1869, XS; more to come.

~oOo~

He awakens with a start, green eyes flying open as if he had been forcibly removed from his sleep—and perhaps he was.

He's staring up at the ceiling, in the same position he'd been in when he passed out. But the ceiling looks different. Blinking rapidly, he straightens up and winces when his neck protests.

No. The ceiling looks…

Familiar.

He laughs, and laughs, and laughs.

 _I'm home._

~oOo~

Once he recollects himself, Gokudera glances at the calendar he knows he used to hang in his apartment. He stands up and heads towards said calendar, checking the date and blinks when he realizes he's been sent back in time. Fifteen years, to be exact.

Pulling himself to his feet, he totters towards his desk, wincing and rubbing at his new injuries. He spots a vaguely familiar letter on the table and curious, he opens it and reads it after lighting a cigarette.

 _If you manage to kill Tsunayoshi Sawada, you may become the next boss of the Vongola_.

Oh yeah. This letter.

He laughs and pulls out a new sheet of paper and a pen before writing out his sudden nullification of the request.

 _Due to certain circumstances, I am unable to assassinate the Tenth. Can I just be his right hand man instead?_

He doesn't sign his name. Practically nobody signs it in the underworld—names have power.

Gokudera is about to reach for Uri so she can deliver it to Reborn, but then he remembers that Uri hasn't even been invented yet in this timeline. He misses her, but he would kill himself before admitting that.

 _Well, that's another thing on my list right now…_

He digs around for an empty envelope and after a couple minutes of looking through his old drawers, he finds one and folds the note before shoving it inside.

Pondering for a few minutes, he then takes out another few sheets of paper, a ruler, and a pencil before sketching out the blueprint for the creation of a box weapon. This, he decides, is will be delivered to Verde.

After finishing it, he folds the papers several times before writing, _Do me a favor and deliver this to Verde as well. It is of utmost importance that this doesn't fall into enemy hands._

Then he slides it into the envelope and seals said envelope before setting it aside.

As he brushes papers aside, setting them neatly on his desk, he sees another letter. Frowning, he opens and reads the first lines.

 _Gokudera Hayato-san_

 _You have been accepted at Namimori Middle…_

When he spots the date that he is to start, his gaze darts back to the calendar.

 _School starts tomorrow?!_

~oOo~

"I noticed you referred to Tsuna as 'Tenth'."

Gokudera smiles fleetingly over the steaming tea. Tsuna's mother is certainly good at making tea. "Of course. Is he not the Tenth? You never intended to let me win anyway. I don't have the Sky Flames he has, nor do I have his kindness."

He and Reborn are in Tsuna's room right now, while Tsuna is at school. Gokudera estimates they have about two more hours.

Reborn raises an eyebrow ever so slightly but Gokudera catches it simply because of years of being with the Arcobaleno. "And is that the only reason why you wish to simply become one of his underlings?"

"It isn't," Gokudera agrees. "There rarely is only one reason for anything, really. But it is one of my major reasons."

"That is true," Reborn concedes. "I won't pry for now. But these notes you wished to deliver to Verde?"

"They may protect the Tenth's life, but should they ever be used by the wrong people, they can and will kill him." He takes another sip of the tea. It isn't poisoned. Reborn has no reason to poison him when shooting him is easier.

Reborn studies him carefully with obsidian eyes and Gokudera feels a chill settle over him. The Arcobaleno is the more dangerous predator here, and Gokudera will wholeheartedly embrace that fact.

"Very well," Reborn says finally. "I will deliver them to Verde under one condition."

"Yes?"

"Where did you get those scars? I fail to recall them from my description of you, and the bandages don't hide everything."

"Reborn-san," Gokudera says, setting his tea down carefully with a clink. "What I say in this room never leaves this room."

Reborn considers for a moment. "Unless it is detrimental to the health of the Vongola, then I can keep a secret."

Gokudera closes his eyes and composes himself, finding a good way to explain this.

"Reborn-san… I… I…" He takes a shuddering breath. "Let's see… Have you heard of the Ten Year Bazooka, and do you know what it does?"

Reborn nods. "Yes."

He takes a deep breath, forces himself to calm down, and tells his entire story to Reborn, the Arcobaleno listening expressionlessly.

~oOo~

 _I hate fangirls._

As soon as Gokudera steps past the gate, people turn to stare. Haven't they learned that staring is _rude_?

Yawning loudly, he enters the classroom.

As soon as he hears the fangirls he resists the urge to just shoot them all and ditch, but then he spots Yamamoto and Tsuna, and he feels like he's just been punched by Lawn Head in the gut repetitively.

He sees Tsuna looking at him and looking rather dejected but also kind of angry. For a moment he feels like a kicked puppy, and then sees Kyoko, and decides that the reason for his annoyance was that apparently Kyoko likes him in the romantic sense.

"We have a new transfer student who was studying overseas in Italy. Gokudera Hayato."

He bows slightly. "It's nice to meet you. Please take care of me." [1]

Gokudera passes by Tsuna's desk and waves slightly with a small smile. Clearly Tsuna's confused by his behavior but makes no comment about it.

He takes a seat and prepares for class to end.

~oOo~

"You know, Tenth, you might be better fit to be the boss of the Vongola if you were a bit braver," Gokudera points out, taking a drag just as Tsuna exits the school.

Tsuna shrieks a little in shock. "Y-you-you-you're the transfer student!"

"Does that automatically make me a bad guy?" He exhales the smoke calmly, eyes closed. "Albeit, Reborn did originally hire me to assassinate you. Don't want to though."

The to-be boss of the Vongola squeaks shrilly again. "How do you know about that?! And what do you mean, assassinate! Reborn's supposed to help me!"

"I'm part of the mafia, Tenth," Gokudera explains patiently, completely used to his boss's (or rather, future boss here) shock and panicking. He's just a little surprised at how warm his heart feels, and how much it hurts seeing him alive again. "And technically he was trying to help you. Originally you were supposed to subjugate me and make me your underling. Which I already am, by the way."

"Why am I supposed to be the boss? I'm useless!" Tsuna moans.

Within a moment, Gokudera has Tsuna pinned against the wall. "Repeat that again and I _will_ slug you across the face, Tenth. I hit hard, by the way. You _aren't_ useless."

Tsuna blinks rapidly as Gokudera releases his wrists. Just as Gokudera realizes what he'd done, he bows at a ninety degree angle. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you!" he squeaks, his voice an octave higher than usual.

"Eh? No, it's alright, you didn't hurt me!" Tsuna exclaims, waving his hands wildly. "See, I'm fine."

"Are you sure…?"

"Yes!" Tsuna answers, smiling awkwardly. It is certainly a beautiful sight to see and it nearly takes Gokudera's breath away because he hasn't seen that smile in so long and that Lawn-Head-punched-me-in-the-gut feeling comes back. "Um, actually, thanks, Gokudera-san—"

"There's no need to be so formal with me, Tenth!" Gokudera interrupts hastily. "I mean, just 'Gokudera' works but 'Gokudera-kun' is fine as well… well, I guess 'Hayato' works too…"

"Um Gokudera-kun then," Tsuna says, sounding unsure. "But thanks… Nobody's actually said that to me except my mom… but then again, she isn't the most normal of people." And then as if realizing what he said might've sounded rude, Tsuna adds quickly, "I don't mean that you're not normal or anything—"

"Tenth," Gokudera says with a shaky laugh, "I'm far from normal. Do normal people join up with the mafia?" He feels his eyes starting to water and he lets his bangs hang over his face to hide it.

Seeming to notice something's wrong, Tsuna looks at him worriedly. "Um, Gokudera-san—kun—are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." His voice is a little hoarse but it's barely noticeable, but Tsuna is perceptive, even at this stage of his life. Tsuna doesn't pry at all, merely watching him before turning away, and Gokudera is grateful for that.

They go back to class together, despite the strange looks that are given to them.

~oOo~

"Um, I'll see you tomorrow, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna says, smiling his trademark awkward smile.

"We can walk to school together," Gokudera offers, returning the smile with a small one of his own. "Your house is on the way to school from mine, so it won't be too much of a hassle."

Tsuna brightens a little, and Gokudera realizes that technically, he's Tsuna's first friend. "A-alright, if it isn't too much trouble. If you want, you can have breakfast at my place as well…"

Gokudera nods slightly. "That sounds great! And if you need any help on the homework, feel free to ask any time, alright?"

"Thanks. See you tomorrow then!"

Tsuna disappears into his house, and Gokudera heads home as well.

His heart feels light but heavy at the same time. That really shouldn't be possible, but hey, he's a twenty-nine year old man in the incredibly scarred body of a fourteen year old. Who's he to say things are impossible?

As he flops back on his bed and stubs out his cigarette on an ashtray, he gazes at the ceiling. Yamamoto is the next person on his list to befriend. He's torn between smiling and sobbing at the thought of the idiot.

Eventually, he falls asleep.

That night, he dreams of a bird, a dog, and a cat. [2]

~oOo~

" _The Sky fell, the Rain drowned, the Cloud was bitten to death, the Mist committed suicide, the Lightning was buried alive, the Sun was suffocated, and the Storm grinds to a stop."_

~oOo~

[1] I'm not too clear on the subject, but I'm pretty sure that this phrase is used when Japanese people meet each other.

[2] I'm quite sure that this is pretty obvious about who this is alluding to. :

 **A/N:** Holy shit I updated

I hope you enjoyed this chapter :3 Some 2759 friendship-y fluff for you all. Please leave a review telling me what you think about the chapter along with any grammatical mistakes I may have made. Thanks~


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Tempest

 **Rating:** T

 **Genre(s):** Friendship/Angst/Tragedy/Hurt/Comfort

 **Summary:** (Very, very light x-over with xxxHOLiC. Warnings/Pairings inside. Post-manga.) For Gokudera Hayato, this is the easiest decision he has ever made. Without any hesitation, he accepts the consequences, all for a chance to change something and everything; and also for a chance to apologize, apologize for what he hadn't done.

 **Warnings:** Swearing, homo/heterosexuality, violence, character death, time travel, angst, spoilers, the works. Un-beta-ed.

 **Pairings:** 8059, All59 friendship, 2795, 1869, XS; more to come.

~oOo~

The next morning, after making sure the injuries aren't visible, the bandages covering them mostly hidden from view, Gokudera stands outside Tsuna's house, waiting for him to come out.

"Ah, hey, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna calls, spotting him from his bedroom, and Gokudera tilts his head upward.

"Good morning, Tenth!" he replies cheerily.

"I'll be right down, okay?" Tsuna shouts from his bedroom, shutting the window and Gokudera can imagine that his future boss is throwing his clothes on in a hurry before running downstairs. He also hears a muffled "Mom, let Gokudera-kun in okay?"

The door opens not a minute later, and Nana Sawada appears, smiling warmly. "Ah, I remember you, Gokudera-kun, come inside!"

She ushers him into the house, setting a plate of food in front of him before he can say anything, humming cheerfully before going back into the kitchen. Across the table is Reborn, his Chameleon familiar perched on his fedora as usual.

"You didn't tell me how the Guardians and their allies died," Reborn says conversationally after Gokudera finishes, as if he were merely discussing the weather.

Gokudera clenches a fist, letting the sharp pain of his nails digging into his palm keep him from slipping from a panic attack—focus… breath in, breath out.

"It's not that I don't want to—I just… I just _can't._ "

He feels Reborn's dark gaze studying him calmly, and Gokudera can't bring himself to look Reborn in the eye.

"Ah, Reborn! Are you bullying Gokudera-kun as well?" Tsuna huffs, and Gokudera turns to him before smiling brightly to pretend that he hadn't been on the verge of bursting into tears, throwing up, or both.

"Are you implying that I bully people? And more than one?" Reborn asks dangerously, cocking his Leon gun.

"N-no Reborn!" Tsuna squeaks before taking a seat as Nana sets another plate in front of Tsuna.

"Hurry up, Tsu-kun," Nana chides. "Or you and Gokudera-kun will be late for school!"

Tsuna, upon hearing this, immediately wolfs down his food before dragging Gokudera with him, snatching up his backpack. "Thanks for reminding me, Mom!" They head out the door, Tsuna's hand still attached to Gokudera's arm.

"Now really, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna says, stopping abruptly and turning to him. "Are you okay? Did Reborn say something to you?"

Gokudera blinks rapidly for a moment before replying, "Certainly, Tenth. I'm fine."

Tsuna narrows his eyes slightly but doesn't say anything more. "…If you say so. But, Gokudera-kun, if you have any problems, come to me okay? That's what friends do."

If anybody asks, Gokudera will deny the lump in his throat vehemently, and the wetness in his eyes. "…Thank you," he murmurs as a reply.

~oOo~

It becomes a routine, of sorts.

Gokudera arrives at Tsuna's house, Nana lets him in, Reborn tries (in his own sadistic way) to get him to get over the deaths, and Tsuna asks him what's wrong.

It happens for a week, and that's enough for Gokudera to consider "routine", and he assumes it'll keep happening.

And then he realizes he's really low on dynamite.

"Ah, Tenth," Gokudera tells him on Tuesday. "I'm low on dynamite and explosives and the such…"

"Eh? What do you need those for?" Tsuna asks, and then Gokudera has to remind himself that Tsuna doesn't know what weapon he uses, not in this timeline.

"Ah, they're my normal weaponry," Gokudera explains. "And last week, I used up a lot on the guys who apparently thought they could mug me."

Tsuna blinks worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes," Gokudera answers cheerfully. "I'll be fine. So I'll be gone for the day. Sorry for the inconvenience, Tenth!"

"Ah, it's not a problem!" Tsuna replies hastily. "Don't get hurt, okay?"

 _No promises._ "Alright."

If there's one thing he hates about himself right now, it's his ability to lie to Tsuna.

~oOo~

"Ah, good morning, Tenth!" Gokudera calls exuberantly. "Sorry for being away for a week!"

Tsuna pokes his head out of the window sleepily, blinking down at him for a moment before recognizing him. "Ah! Gokudera-kun! You're back! Mom, let him in!"

The door opens, and Gokudera heads towards it. Nana smiles warmly at him. "Ah, Gokudera-kun, it's been a while! I hope you enjoyed your break!"

"Yes, I did, thank you, Sawada-san," Gokudera replies, giving her a small smile in return as she all but forces him into a seat and shoves a platter of food onto his plate.

Then Lambo tumbles down the stairs, and Gokudera vehemently denies that he's missed the stupid cow and shoves the emotions into a tiny box.

"Who is that, Reborn-san?" Gokudera asks, pretending not to recognize him, and Reborn knows what he's playing at.

"Who's who? I don't see anyone other than you, me, or Maman here," Reborn replies calmly.

"Ah… if you say so," Gokudera says warily.

"Don't ignore me, Reborn!" Lambo shouts.

"I think I heard a fly buzzing," Reborn muses. "Kill it for me?"

"I don't think I can," Gokudera answers. "It's too big."

Tsuna nearly trips down the stairs, waving happily at Gokudera. "Hey! I missed you, Gokudera-kun!"

He takes a seat next to him. "Ah, I missed you too, Tenth!

"Did you sleep badly or something?" Gokudera inquires, noticing the bags under Tsuna's eyes.

"Yeah… Lambo was kind of crying overnight…"

"Ah, I hope it wasn't too bad, Tenth! Maybe you should try giving him warm milk. It's a great comfort thing, unless he's lactose intolerant." And Gokudera does remember instances where Lambo couldn't sleep, and would crawl out of bed begging him to warm some milk for him, and despite the swearing-ridden complaints, he'd do it.

Tsuna tilts his head, considering it. "I'll try it. Thanks."

After eating, they head out, bidding Nana a goodbye. And then Yamamoto shows up, laughing cheerfully and smiling brightly, and Gokudera suddenly can't breathe.

 _Because that idiot, when he died, he_ smiled. _Laughed, even. And maybe, Gokudera might have been able to believe the fact that he was okay, that he'd make it home alive, if it weren't for the fact that there's blood everywhere, and that there's no humanly way anybody can survive those injuries._

 _And then that… that…_ bastard _had the audacity to go off and throw himself off that cliff, and drowned himself, and Ryohei's there, restraining him from following him to that fate because apparently, to Yamamoto, dying was preferable to letting those fucking bastards who're less than shit get to the rest of his precious, oh so precious, Famiglia—not just the Famiglia, though. His family._

 _The irony isn't even funny, because even if the fall doesn't kill him, he would've drowned._

 _And what's pathetic is that there was no body to bury._

 _He doesn't cry at the funeral, but as soon as he reaches the confines of his room, he completely shatters._

 _Because Yamamoto, kind, strong, stupid, idiotic Yamamoto didn't deserve death, never mind a pathetic one like that, and certainly not so soon after Tsuna's._

 _But an inner voice asks him:_

If Yamamoto's pathetic, then what are you?

 _Gokudera had no words—still has no words—to describe himself, because there's nothing that's been created that can describe exactly how despicable a person he is._

He awakens with a start, sitting up and breathing heavily.

"Ah, Gokudera-kun!" Tsuna's voice is full of relief and worry. "You're awake."

"I… I'm sorry for making you worry," Gokudera mumbles, feeling ashamed.

Tsuna shakes his head frantically. "No, no. It's not your fault. Are you okay?"

He feels a shaky sob crawl up his throat and it takes him a while to answer, forcing it down. "Honestly? No."

Tsuna stays silent for a moment before Gokudera feels the bed dip slightly, and realizes that Tsuna is sitting with his back against his. They don't say anything for a while, and Gokudera realizes it's kind of… _nice._

It seems that Tsuna is regretful when he breaks the silence. "We're in my bedroom, if you didn't realize," he mutters awkwardly.

"What happened?"

"Well, as soon as you saw Yamamoto, you kind of froze up, and collapsed," Tsuna mumbles. "We brought you back here, and Yamamoto went to school to inform the teachers the three of us wouldn't be coming; he's talking to Reborn downstairs right now. You've been out for about four hours."

"Sorry for the trouble," Gokudera answers in a quiet and timid voice.

Tsuna sighs before shifting, wrapping his arms around Gokudera's shoulders and pulling him closer for a hug.

"You don't need to apologize for anything," Tsuna replies, sounding fondly exasperated. "I already said it's not your fault."

Gokudera lets out a shaky breath, feeling the corners of his eyes stinging again and swallows with some difficulty.

"If you need to, you can cry," Tsuna tells him fiercely, turning him around so Gokudera has no choice but to face him. "There's nothing wrong with it, and keeping your emotions like this isn't healthy." He smiles slightly at him.

Like water in a dam, the pressure of the past five years pushes behind his eyes and they spill over, and he's sobbing, trying to keep the noise level down and utterly fails, and for a while, they stay like that, until it's all reduced to pathetic whimpers and jerky twitches.

Even after he's done, Tsuna refuses to let him go, and they stay like that for a while, letting him bask in the afterglow of a long overdue cry. It's quite nice, actually.

~oOo~

 **a/n:** 2759 friendship fluff for you all and more angst for you to eat. Reviews are appreciated.


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